The Do’s and Don’ts of Restoring a Listed Building

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If you have never restored a listed building, you cannot imagine how challenging this task can be without careful planning and a sizeable budget.

You certainly to conduct some detailed research before making a commitment, as you look to adhere to some specific do’s and don’ts and optimise the ROI on your total spend.

So, here are the defined do’s and don’ts of restoring a listed property and the steps that you can take to make your real estate dreams a reality.

The Do’s

Let’s start with the do’s, which include the following actions:

Liaise With Your Local Conservation Officer

Most renovations require the approval of the local authority, especially in instances where you are adding an extension or performing structural work. You will also need to liaise with a local conservation office when working on a listed building, however, as this will guarantee the compliance and longevity of your project.

Obtain the Right Insurance

Not all home insurance policies have been created equal, meaning that many listed building owners risk investing in inadequate coverage. You must therefore seek pout tailored and specialist coverage, while adhering to any rules which dictate that you must rebuild the structure using original materials.

Achieve Building Consent and Planning Permission

Before you even buy a listed building, you will need to develop a viable plan and submit this for approval. You will need to have confirmed planning permission and building consent to complete work, and without this you risk being unable to realise your desired ROI.

Organise Yourself

Given the complexity of restoring a listed building, you will need to be organised and retain accessible copies of all permissions, certifications and planning documents.

The Don’ts

So what about the don’ts, which are essentially mistakes that can undermine the integrity and impact of your project. These include:

Change or Replace Original Features

Much of the value of listed building lies in their original features, so it is crucial to maintain the integrity of these at all times (particularly in instances where you are looking to resell). This means utilising specialist contractors at all times, as you invest in sash window restoration from fortishooke.co.uk and leverage other service providers to perform similarly skilled tasks.

Rush the Work

This is imperative, as rushing the work or attempting to complete tasks without the requisite permission will only incur further delays (and costs) in the long-term. So take you time and remember that patience will ultimately deliver a higher yield.

Try to Modernise Unnecessarily

You should not try to decline contemporary repairing methods with traditional alternatives, as can cause irreparable damage to your home. Most listed structured are built using materials like lime mortar, and these are simply incompatible with modern alternatives.

Forget About the Garden

On a final note, do not assume that the garden comes under any permissions that you have secured on the structure. In fact, the listed designation of a property often extends to its lands, so you need to understand which areas are protected before pushing ahead with your renovation project!